Irrawaddy-Aug 21
Under mounting pressure from the Chinese government, the United Wa State Party (UWSP)—the political wing of the United Wa State Army (UWSA), the most powerful ethnic armed group in Myanmar—announced on Wednesday that it will cease all forms of support to allied groups, including two ethnic armies fighting the regime near the Chinese border.
Through its WeChat account, the UWSP’s mouthpiece Wa State TV announced that the group had officially decided to halt its supply of weapons, equipment and military and financial assistance to three ethnic armies—the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP). It said the decision was announced during a meeting with the leaders of the three ethnic armies in Panghsang, the capital of Wa State, on Wednesday. The TNLA and MNDAA are members of the Brotherhood Alliance along with the Rakhine State-based Arakan Army. With the help of several other resistance groups, including the People’s Defense Force (PDF), the armed wing of the civilian National Unity Government (NUG), the ethnic alliance launched the large-scale anti-regime Operation 1027 in northern Shan State in October 2023, seizing most of northern Shan including the capital Lashio and vital trade routes with China. China holds the UWSP responsible for enabling armed conflict in northern Shan State by providing military and economic support to other groups in northern Shan, Zhao Guoan said. In response, Beijing has taken unprecedented actions against the UWSA, including arresting individuals, freezing assets, sealing border crossings and other severe measures, he said. At the meeting, the UWSP also declared that it will no longer provide weapons, help with military logistics, or economic assistance to any organization under any circumstances.. Recently, TNLA General Secretary Major General Tar Phone Kyaw denounced China’s interference in Myanmar, saying it only seeks to safeguard its own interests. Meanwhile, anti-Chinese sentiment is growing in Myanmar as a result of Beijing’s brazen support for the junta’s war crimes and interference in the country’s internal affairs. Read more at: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/war-against-the-junta/myanmar-junta-attacks-tnla-held-town-in-northern-shan.html
